NEW DELHI, August 7. /TASS/. Russia has proposed that BRICS member states expand cooperation in civil drone technologies, including joint development, manufacturing, and implementation of autonomous solutions across various economic sectors, Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Alexey Gruzdev told TASS following the BRICS ministerial meeting in Jaipur.

"With each passing day, drone technologies are becoming more integrated into our lives, finding applications across a wide variety of sectors, including logistics, aviation, forestry, wildfire monitoring, environmental protection, and agriculture," Gruzdev said.

According to the Deputy Minister, Russia is prepared to offer its partners comprehensive technological ecosystems rather than just standalone unmanned platforms. "A drone is not just the hardware itself. It also encompasses software, algorithms, control systems, and related services. We can collaborate on drone manufacturing, joint technology R&D, and the commercial promotion of these services," he noted.

Gruzdev emphasized that Russia is keen to share its operational expertise in deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) across different industries. "Russia is ready for partnership, leveraging its extensive track record in developing and embedding drone technologies into various industrial workflows," the official stressed.

He pointed out that the initiative was extended to all BRICS member states. "We are offering this cooperation to the entire BRICS bloc. Going forward, the work will continue at the expert level to hammer out specific areas of interaction. This interest is shared not only by India but also by other member states, such as Ethiopia," Gruzdev concluded.